The Aubrey Hart chronicles
by PrettyinPinkNikki21
Summary: The Teenage years of one Aubrey Hart, will they make through those turbulent years as a family or will it tear them apart? Sequel to Jennifer's lie, Searching for Aubrey, Cradle will rock
1. Misery and company

Aubrey Hart wasn't supposed to be out, her mother had grounded her for her grades and putting her brother Lucas in a headlock after he'd walked in her on changing her clothes too many times, lately the sweet little girl had turned into a mouthy teenager, at 14 once the pride of her mother had become the cause of many of her headaches.

The daily screaming matches over the condition of her room, her clothes and other things including her choose of having older friends, who could drive and were frequently in trouble with the police

Life inside Hart house sometimes unbearable and frequently made the younger Harts scurry for cover, they weren't used to this side of their sister, normally so kind and loving, she now had no time for them, if not for dinner and the endless groundings, they would never see her.

But this time, she'd gone too far, right after her Daddy left with the boys for a fishing trip to Reno and her mother was putting her baby sister into the tub, Aubrey had gone down the ladder, across the 2nd floor roof and down the trellis, down the driveway across the pond and into the waiting car driven by her best friend, Roxy Leigh, who'd found out through the High School grapevine, that an unsupervised party was happening in the hills and that if they were to gain any popularity in High School, that as the place to be

Walking into the house, She was immediately handed a beer and lead into the living room where a group of kids were dancing and some were pairing off, the music was deafening but she loved it, for a moment she didn't feel like Aubrey Hart, rich kid from Bel Air daughter of the industrialist and a famous journalist, she was just Aubrey.

She was dancing with Harvey Kinkle in a mish-mash of kids when suddenly the music cut out and a voice ordered everyone to freeze

It was the police

The entire room erupted into Chaos and suddenly everyone began to scatter, Harvey grabbed her and ran, except just before getting to the door, she was grabbed by the waist and pulled back, fighting she accidentally head-butted whoever was behind her, instantly hearing the cracking of bones, she turned her blue eyes to a police officer, who was holding his face

"Oops" She said grimacing "Sorry"

"You're under arrest" the officer said holding his face, blood pouring down his uniform

"Come on, Can't we negotiate on this?" She pleaded over the noise of the cruisers and kids shouting, Harvey still holding her hand

"Nice Try Miss…"

"Hart, Aubrey Hart" She said quietly

She had no idea where Roxy went, and she wondered for a second if she'd been ditched but just as the Officer was leading her out, She spotted Roxy being put into another cop car.

"Come on, my mother's going to kill me, can't we write this off as a youthful indiscretion?" She asked

"Sorry Miss," He handcuffed her and placed her into the cop car, Harvey was cuffed and placed beside her inside

"Don't worry, Aubs, We'll get a lecture and then released," He tried to reassure her

"Yeah, well my mother won't see it that way," Aubrey pictured her mother beating her to death in the middle of the precinct

The ride to the station was only 10 minutes but it felt longer, every second felt like an eternity

Arriving at the precinct, she was lead into a room by herself and a female officer came in

"Alright Miss, I need your phone number to call your parents" The officer asked

"Do you know who my father is, Jonathan Hart, He can buy and sell you a million times" She was willing to try anything

"Either you tell me now, or I take you down to have you finger printed and mug shot taken" the Officer threatened her

Aubrey reluctantly gave her phone number

"Mrs. Hart, this is Detective Fox of the Calabasas police department" the officer said into the phone

Aubrey could hear her mother gasp and ask if her husband was alright, which didn't make sense since he was in Tahoe with her brothers but considering Jennifer thought Aubrey was upstairs in her bed, it wasn't a total farfetched idea

"Ma'am, we have your daughter here, we're detaining her for underage drinking,assault of a police officer, as well as trespassing"

"That's impossible" Jennifer spat, "My daughter's upstairs"

The officer handed Aubrey the phone

"Mama," She said quietly

"Aubrey Rose Hart, what have you done?" her mother demanded to know

"Can you just come get me" She just wanted to go home

"I suppose I should just leave you there to teach you a lesson ," Her mother never would but the threat was constantly in the air "I'll be there soon" then slammed the phone down

Aubrey was led back out to where a group of her friends were sitting and waiting for their parents, Harvey included

"What did your mom say" he asked quietly

"Nothing good, I think I see boarding school in my future"

"Oh Come on, Jennifer's not that bad"

"You've never pissed her off"

Harvey had recently become a new addition her life, she'd never felt so passionately in love with anyone, she figured this is what her parents must have felt about each other, the constant need to be around each other, constantly kissing and hugging.

It was often a wonder that she only had three siblings, the way they acted the house should have been filled with little Harts

Harvey was so wonderful to her, he listened when she had problems, laughed with her over ridiculous movies and saw past the big house and money, he was her new best friend, along with Roxy, who was her soul Sister, they had so much in common

Which was why Jennifer had such a problem with her, Because they were too much alike and Roxy's ideas weren't often in Aubrey's best interest, which involved cutting school and hanging out the mall

A few other Roxy ideas included dying Aubrey's beautiful red hair, black and piercing her nose which Aubrey had to admit she hated but considering it nearly gave her mother a stroke, she was learning to love it and she loved Roxy's style

It was punk clothes, tank tops, mesh skirts, Goth boots, heavy makeup, the look of the anti-rich kids which made her love it even more. She didn't even want to mention the little heart tattoo on her hip

But she had a feeling that her punk days were over before they started, when her Daddy finds out about this, she'd be lucky if she didn't wind up in a Swiss Convent

"Oh Boy, I blew it" She whispered

Soon each of her friends were being picked up, and she was becoming the last one left, which was kind of ridiculous considering they lived less than 20 minutes from the precinct, it was her and Harvey left, Roxy's mother, who'd been working the night shift as a waitress came in, and simply said that Roxy would have to pay back the lost wages she would have earned had she been working instead of bailing her out. Roxy rolled her eyes and smiled to show that her mother was cool and didn't care.

He managed to get his handcuffed hand to grasp hers and squeeze to reassure her

"It'll be okay, I promise" He whispered in her ear

She tried to smile but couldn't

"Harvey Kinkle, Your father is here," the Officer announced uncuffing him

"Harvey, what the hell have I told you about these parties, damn it if you don't smarten I'm going to put your ass in the army" made his presence known

"Sorry Dad," Harvey wasn't surprised when his father smacked him upside the head, was often abusive despite Harvey towering above him

"Let's go" gestured, "Aubrey, I just passed your mother and sister on my way in"

"Great" She rolled her eyes, Gram Pearl had decided she need some sort of vacation so Daddy had arranged for her to visit friends in Florida, thus leaving her mother to deal with her problem daughter and Katarina, who's recent medical problems had kept her occupied

At nearly four years old, she still wasn't talking and was limited in her walking, she refused to eat by herself and still required diapers, as well as her bottle it was thought maybe she had autism but the diagnosis hadn't been proven yet so Jennifer spent all her free time researching and working with her just to progress, at an age she was supposed to start preschool, Katarina was being held back at home for another year until she could improve with the various therapists

It was another piece of Aubrey's resentment, the constant attention away from her mother and the preoccupation

"Bye Aubs" He kissed her nose "I'll call you tomorrow if your warden lets me"

"Bye Harvey" She smiled, the only bright spot in this situation

She heard the familiar squeak of her mother's sketchers and knew that she should brace herself

Her mother's red hair, which she'd obviously just washed was pulled back into a half pony tail and she was wearing her sweatpants and oversized Lakers tank top, she must have just thrown on her clothes, Katarina on her hip, who was wearing her and clutching her teddy bear. Her mother must have pulled Kati out of her crib and threw her in the car

The look on her face said her emotions, that Aubrey should keep her mouth shut until they were in an area without witnesses

"Let's go" Jennifer said through gritted teeth

The officer offered Aubrey a sympathic look as she uncuffed her

"When is my daughter due in court," Jennifer demanded to know

"Two months Ma'am"

"Does she need a lawyer"

"Yes"

"Fine" Jennifer marched out the door with Aubrey trailing behind her the walk to the car was like the walk to the electric chair

"Mama?" Aubrey said quietly after a few minutes

"Not a word until we get back to Willow Pond" Jennifer said buckling Katarina into her car seat

The ride home was agony, for a moment she hoped her mother would just pull over and beat the hell out of her so she wouldn't have to endure this agony

Finally getting to the house Jennifer drove through the gates and into the driveway, shutting off the car

Just before Aubrey could get out of the car, Jennifer grabbed her arm

"Go Upstairs, change your clothes, take off the makeup and remove the piercings, when I am done with Katarina, I want to look at the child whom I gave birth to and I swear if you even think about going out that window again, you better hope God himself will show you mercy"

Aubrey nodded and walked into the house, noticing how silent it was without her brothers screeching or Freeway barking

After doing what her mother asked and shaking inside which she would never show fear on the outside, she waited

She could hear her mother talking to Katarina, who's bedtime requirement took longer than the usual routine she had with the boys but the longer her baby sister stalled, the less screaming her mother would so she wouldn't wake up the house.

A half hour later and Aubrey's eyes beginning to shut from exhaustion, Jennifer swept in

"I'm not going to ask you if you lost your mind, We'll just go on the assumption you have, I just want to know why, we've never given you any reason to rebel and I know your 14 but this is just ridiculous!" Jennifer stood in front of her daughter

Aubrey didn't have an answer, she could only shrug her shoulders

"No answer, c'mon you can do better than that"

Finally Aubrey could only think of one thing, "Just leave me alone!"

"Oh little girl, I know you can do better than that"

"I'm not a little girl!"

"You're 14, you're a child!"

"Look I'm sorry you had to bail me out, if I had any other option I would have used it!"

"I don't care about that, what's going on in that head of yours?!"

"Like you care!"

"What" Jennifer wasn't sure where this conversation was going but she could see the pain and the fact Aubrey refused to look her in the eye

"I don't matter to you, it's all about Katarina or the boys!"

"Do you really believe that?" Jennifer was surprised

"I don't know what I believe, I know I just want you to leave me alone!"

"I'll leave you alone, but this isn't over and when your Daddy comes home, we'll discuss your punishment"

"Maybe I won't be here when he comes home" Aubrey knew she'd crossed the line when her mother got right in her face

"If you leave like that, knowing what we've gone through then you are the most incredibly selfish person in the world and no daughter of mine" Jennifer turned to leave "You know, you think you're the only person going through hard times, there are six other people in this house, think about them for a second and what the consequences of you leaving would do, you want to be treated like an adult then act like one"

She left slamming the door behind her

"Forget this," Aubrey grabbed her jacket and went out the window down to the guest house, she needed space before she really told her mother where to go

The truth was she didn't understand why she was doing this either, she was mixed up and her emotions were everywhere, there were days when they thought she was being sulky when she would sit in her room for hours just reading or crying.

She was tired of being Aubrey Hart, she'd give anything to be someone else and if her mother couldn't understand that then she didn't know her at all.


	2. Not our little girl anymore

Early the next morning, After a sleepless night, Jennifer was determined to find out what Aubrey had meant when she said that they only cared about Katarina and the boys, she admitted to being preoccupied with her youngest child but that was because at an age where she should be walking, dressing and eating by herself, she didn't do any of that, it was like she was literally stuck in infancy

All the doctors they'd been couldn't find the reason, numerous tests had been done and so far all off them were inconclusive, the best they could hope for was that for some reason, she'd maybe forgotten to breath in the womb and it caused some long term affects and countless therapies didn't seem to be working, She admitted that sometimes she overlooked her oldest daughter's needs for her youngest but that's what any mother would do, but she never felt like she completely neglected Aubrey

The past few months, she realized how much Aubrey had distanced herself from the whole family, before she'd loved playing out in the yard with the boys or rollerblading, but now it was like they were a bothersome and any conversation between the three of them ended with someone getting hurt.

Jonathan had noticed it too, he tried to engage her in the same interests as the boys with him but she didn't want to, he often took the boys up in Hart One which she loved or to the ball game but now she suddenly spent every moment at the mall.

Aubrey's mouth was continually getting her into trouble, from mouthing off to her teachers and the principal to her and Jonathan and Pearl, who a few times came dangerously close to slapping her only to be held back at the last minute.

Giving her space wasn't working, grounding her wasn't working, nothing was working and Jennifer was at her wits end, as a mother she usually could anticipated every move of her children but Aubrey literally left her clueless. At 11 years old the boys were a cake walk, as long as she was there to patch them up and keep from killing each other, and torturing their big sister, they were happy campers

Jennifer figured if she let Aubrey get some sleep, she might calm down enough to explain herself, that maybe the reason for her meltdown was she embarrassed, or exhausted, something she was desperate for answers.

The morning came too soon and she found herself standing outside Aubrey's door, waiting for the usual growl of "It's too early!"

But nothing, figuring she fell asleep with her IPOD in her ears, Jennifer opened the door and crossed into her room.

Which had certainly changed since Aubrey came home, once littered with stuffed animals and kiddy books and her big girl bed with it's pink walls were now purple grape with rock star posters, a large water bed and a tattered couch next to the desk where her computer was, a large television mounted on the wall underneath the bookshelf.

The floor with its once blue carpet was now littered with clothes and shoes, she'd lost the battle with Aubrey over the condition of her room a year ago, now she was grateful if Aubrey remembered to throw out the pizza boxes that seem to be appearing almost nightly

She nearly broke her neck over a boot and landed on the bed, floating up a little bit she realized Aubrey wasn't in the bed, frustrated she pounded the bed and heard the clatter of silverware under the comforter

"I'll kill her, She won't have to worry about finishing high school because she'll be sharing a plot with Max" Jennifer muttered "We'll make another one just like her except hopefully that one will be civilized" She got off the bed, kicked at some clothes and marched down the stairs, hearing Katarina starting to whine, she turned back, picked up the baby and walked back down the stairs ready to either call her husband or the police, she was half way in the kitchen when she noticed the refrigerator door open

"Who ate all yogurt?!" the familiar raspy voice asked with her head inside

"You did, what are you doing out of your room" She put Katarina in her high chair

"I was hungry, even prisoners' get breakfast" Aubrey slammed the door and reached for a cup to drink her juice

"Well, we need to discuss last night"

"No we don't, I don't want to talk about it, just punish me and get it over with" Aubrey pulled herself on top of the counter

"You're already grounded until the end of the century, what else could I possibly take away from you?" Jennifer dropped some cheerios into Katarina's highchair table

"Good Point, so we'll just let this slide" She smiled hopefully

"Nice try but no, when Daddy comes home, we'll figure out what to do with you, in the meantime confinement and your meals will be brought to you so there will be no need for kitchen runs "

Aubrey rolled her eyes and stomped upstairs, they could hear her footsteps above them and heard her door slam

"Oh Kati, what are we going to do with her," Jennifer smiled sadly and kissed her baby's head

Aubrey had just slammed the door and was headed back to her bed when a hand reached out and pulled her back, before she could scream a voice said quickly

"Don't yell, it's just me" Harvey cautioned her, she turned around and saw his face was badly bruised

"Oh my god, are you okay" she made a move to touch his face but he flinched

"Yeah, I'm fine, can I hide out here for the day" He asked kissing her nose

"Okay" She felt so naughty, hiding a boy in her room, her friends would consider her a God after this

He kicked off his shoes and climbed into her bed, making he comfortable, she went into the bathroom and got a cold cloth to put on his face

"What happened after your Dad picked you up last night"

"Let's just say, dinner won't be served on the good silver," Harvey rolled his good eye

"Oh Baby I'm sorry" She knew that the black eye was because of her, she pressed the cloth to his face and he tried not show his pain

"It's not your fault," he ran his hands over her arms giving her shivers

"If Roxy hadn't taken me to the party we wouldn't have gotten busted"

"It was only a matter of time" he leaned forward and kissed her, she melted into his body and suddenly she couldn't get enough, she wanted more

It didn't matter that she was 14 in her bedroom at her parents' house, she wanted to be one with this boy whom she loved.

"Are you sure about this," He whispered

"I think so"

Well she went about as far as she could without actually having sex, she was down to her underwear and him as well, she wanted to do more but she was so nervous, the sex talk her mother had given her early had driven home the point that she wasn't ready for all the consequences of it, like if she accidentally got pregnant

Kissing her neck, Harvey had to confess something "Aubrey, I have to leave,"

"Now?!" She said looking down at her half naked body

"No! After School on Friday, I'm leaving for my Aunt's house in Nashville; I can't stay here anymore with my father"

Aubrey wanted to cry, everything was falling part and now the most important person in her life was leaving too

"I understand," She said quickly

"No you don't, I want you to come with me," Harvey lifted her chin

"What? I can't leave here, I'm barely 15 technically jailbait!"

"We can cross the border into Mexico and get married, it'll work for both us, we can be together and not have to deal with our parents, we'll be each other's family" He took her hand

"I'm not sure," She wasn't sure she was ready to be a wife before she could drive

"Think about it, okay?"

Aubrey nodded

Downstairs, Jennifer was trying to get Katarina to walk when she heard a car door slam

"Who's that?" She asked placing Katarina on the floor and going to the door to find her husband and sons back, unloading the SUV

"Hi Mama!" the boys shouted

"Hi guys, what are you doing home so soon?" She'd been anticipating them gone until Wednesday so she could plan on telling Jonathan about Aubrey in a way that wouldn't cause his head to explode

"Hi Darling, We didn't caught anything except a cold for Andrew plus two growing boys ate us of food within a few days and I missed you" Jonathan kissed her nose

"Oh Baby, you're sick?" She ran her hands over Andrew's round face

"Just a stuffy nose" He snuffled to prove a point

"Mama, look at the fish we caught" Lucas was so proud of the little fish he'd got in a plastic bag

"You said you didn't catch a fish" Jennifer smiled

"Petco Darling Petco" Jonathan laughed

"Where's Aubrey?" Jonathan asked handing her a sleeping bag

"Upstairs , grounded …" She was hesitant to tell him the rest

"Oh boy, guys finish unloading the car, go take showers and get ready for dinner" Jonathan ordered his boys, turning back to his wife "Office now"

In the twelve years since the attacks, the house had been re-arranged to accommodate the kids, the boys had their own rooms so they wouldn't get on each other's nerves and Katarina's nursery was next to their rooms so Jonathan's office had been relocated downstairs in Max's old room

"Wait, Kati's in the Living room," Jennifer remembered

"She'll be alright for a minute," Jonathan was eager to know what had transpired over the weekend with his oldest daughter

Upstairs, Aubrey had heard the car door slam shut and looked out the window to see her brothers unpacking

"Oh Shit!" She scrambled back to the bed where Harvey had fallen asleep "You gotta get up, my Dad's home!"

"What-?" Harvey wasn't sure what was going on

"Get up and get dressed, my Dad catches us and it's a curtains for both of us,"

"SHE WAS WHAT?!" Her father's voice screamed through the house

Harvey jumped up and started throwing on his clothes on, the footsteps on the stairs suddenly became louder and louder

"How do I get out of here?" Harvey panicked, trying to put his shoes on

"Listen to me, go down the window sill to the second story roof then down the escape ladder on my brother's window, careful of the third rung it's broken and then you can jump onto the lawn, cut across the pond and down the dirt road, go through the gate and down to the major road" She grabbed his face and kissed him

"Alright, will you think about what we talked about?" He asked climbing over the windowsill

"I don't need to think about it, I'll marry you, now go!" She pushed him but before he jumped down he kissed her face

"Aubrey Rose Hart!" Her father called jingling the door handle

"Hold on I'm getting dressed!" She threw on her shorts and t-shirt, ripping open the door and trying to flatten her hair

Jonathan tried to control his anger but he was tired of her behavior and her attitude

"I want to know why you snuck out on your mother last night and got arrested, Aubrey Rose this isn't you and I want to know why you are doing this"

"Because I can," She raised her eyebrow as a challenge

"Excuse me?" Her father asked

"Oh come on Daddy, you can't tell me when you didn't do this when YOU were my age?"

"That was different, the times were different and besides You are my daughter and I will not allow this to continue further,"

"So what does that mean?"

"It means We're pulling you out of School and homeschooling you, a change of school might improve your attitude"

"Daddy, No!" She never imagined that he'd go this far, homeschooling?!

"It's the only way you'll learn, Maybe after the semester if your attitude improves as well as your behavior, in between homeschooling you'll work at Hart Industries as a lackee"

"This is worse than a nightmare, this is hell" She wanted to cry but wouldn't give him the satisfaction

"Well you do the crime you do the time,"

"Wait Daddy, when were you going to pull me out," She couldn't leave with Harvey if she was trapped in the house

"End of the week, you'll be able to clear out your locker and say goodbye,"

"Fine," She knew she was being awfully agreeable but she figured she'd better play along

They left her room but not before Jennifer noticed her sudden switch in behavior

"She's plotting, no way that child who's spent the better part of a year screaming to be left suddenly agrees to be homeschooled"

"I'm not sure but I have a feeling, whatever she's planning will be tremendous," Jonathan sighed and looked at the portrait on the wall of Aubrey taken in her first year of Kindergarten, the smiley face with the ribbons in her hair and press on earrings


	3. Leaving Home

Aubrey had arranged everything with Roxy, they swapped phones to make sure She wasn't being tracked, got a fake ID from Roxy's older brother Mike so she could cross the border without any hassles, borrowed a white dress from their friend Phoebe's older sister's closet and made sure that her school bag was packed with enough clothes and supplies to get through the weekend.

She still hadn't figured out how to tell her Mama and Daddy about her and Harvey's elopement, she was pretty sure if it came out before they came back; Harvey would be spending their marriage under the oak tree in the front yard and She'd be locked in her room like Rapunzel until she was 18.

On the day of their elopement, she woke up that morning with butterflies in her stomach unsure if she was making the right decision, could she really be someone's wife? Was this going to be her new identity from a daughter to a wife?

She'd be from now on Aubrey Rose Hart Kinkle, She'd get a cramp from writing it all out but who knows, and maybe after a while she'd get used to it.

The plan was all laid out, she'd go to school as planned, call home lunch to beg to sleep over at Roxy's then after school, and Harvey would get his older brother, Chad's, who was away in Nepal for a semester, Firebird convertible.

After they crossed the border and got married, then they'd go to the Kinkle's aunt in Nashville, hopefully Mama and Daddy would understand that she needed to start over and allow her to stay, She'd finish High School on time before they'd make the decision to have a baby. They had the rest of their lives to have a family.

In the meantime, they'd be each other's family.

Aubrey wanted to make sure everything went off without a hitch and she knew if she pissed her mother off enough, Jennifer would keep her home, all week she'd been on her best behavior, helping her brothers with their homework, setting the table, walking Freeway Jr, everything her mother was constantly nagging her about.

Except she'd been too good and her mother had grabbed her after dinner in the kitchen to ask if this new behavior was a cover for a future crime spree.

Aubrey wanted desperately to tell her Mama what was going on but she knew that her mother would everything in her power to stop her and she was lucky, just before she could spill her guys, Andrew and Lucas had started roughhousing in the living room and knocked over a vase Daddy had gotten back in the 70s

Their mother had left the kitchen when she heard the blood curling scream from Andrew, who's head had been responsible for the breaking of the vase, when she ran into the room, Lucas was sitting on top of his twin, looking in horror

Jennifer didn't want to but in order to get a better look at Andrew, she had to push Lucas aside and when she did, she nearly vomited all over her own son

His head had split like an egg , bits of vase imbedded in his head

"Calm down" She yelled over Andrew's screaming "It'll be okay!"

"Oh my god, I killed my own brother!" Lucas cried

"He'll be fine, go find Daddy now!" Jennifer ordered, she grabbed a blanket off the couch and placed it under his head, trembling, she reached for the phone dialed 911

"My son is hurt, I'm not sure how this happened but there's blood everywhere" Jennifer said quietly not wanting to upset him more, although it was hard to hear the operator over Andrew's scream, she placed her hand over his mouth but in his panic, he'd accidentally bitten her hand in the process but in that moment she didn't feel anything.

Jonathan came running from the office, heard the scream and saw the look on Jennifer's face and immediately he picked up Andrew, running out to car saying it would be faster if he drove them.

Hours later, exhausted, they brought Andrew home with 18 stitches going across his forehead, As soon as they came through the door and Lucas saw the bandages, he immediately began to cry and it took hours to calm him down.

Hours that Aubrey sighed with relief she didn't have to be interrogated by her mother, she still felt horrible over her brother's accident though, she wasn't totally dead inside.

Because of that excitement, They were all so exhausted and didn't even notice Aubrey was leaving for school until she poked her head into the Masters suite

"Mama," She called "I'm going to school"

"Okay Baby, Have fun" her mother mumbled from under the covers, her face buried into the pillow, Jonathan practically on top of her, He'd opened one eye when the door opened but had fallen back to sleep.

She was halfway down the stairs, when she heard her named being called

"Aubrey," Lucas called, his face still tear streaked and swollen, "Are you really eloping?"

She was pretty sure her heart stopped entirely

"How did you know that?"

"Next time you sneak a guy into your room, first make sure the house is empty and that there are no witnesses to watch him try to climb down the trellis, he sucks by the way, he broke Andrew's window sill"

"You saw him and he confessed?" She was amazed her 11 year old brother managed to break her 15 year old boyfriend down

"Well that and He paid us 50 bucks to keep our mouths shut"

"You extorted money out of him?!"

"Are you really leaving home for good?"

"Yes"

"I'm really going to miss you" She was surprised when he leaned over and hugged her, normally he kept his distance, she supposed it had to do with her not being around as much or staying in her room when they were outside

"I'll miss you guys like crazy"

"Promise you won't forget us," he looked into her blue eyes, his brown eyes trying so hard to choke back the tears

"Of course not, I'll always be your Big sister wherever I am, I promise I'll come back and kick your butt occasionally and you'll come to visit us in Nashville" She kissed his forehead and ran down the stairs trying not to cry

"Goodbye Mrs. Kinkle!" Lucas mocked her as she closed the door; this was the hardest part about leaving, she never wanted to think that her siblings were the reason for her leaving, they were far from it.

The day dragged and as planned, at Lunchtime she phoned her Daddy at work, she was hesitant because she wasn't sure this was a good idea anymore, she didn't want to break her Mama's heart and she was pretty sure her Daddy would be scouring the state with his shotgun.

"Jonathan Hart" His deep voice answered

"Hi Daddy!" She tried to be as cheerful as possible

"Hi Baby, aren't you supposed to be in class?" He asked suspicious of why she was calling

"It's lunchtime Daddy, I have a huge favor to ask"

"Oh boy, how much is it going to cost me?"

"Not a dime, Can I spend the weekend at Roxy's?" She asked quickly

"Aubrey Rose, your grounded" He reminded her

"I know but since you're pulling me out and imprisoning me, Phoebe and Roxy want to throw me a goodbye party for the weekend so can I please?" She begged

"Fine but your behind better walk in the door at 9am sharp Sunday morning" He was a sucker when it came to his daughter

"Thank you Daddy!, I love you!" She squealed

"Yeah Yah Yah" He hung up the phone and wondered if he'd just gave permission for his daughter to run amok all over Los Angeles.

_The next night _

Jennifer had been working on a new project, the house was quiet for once, Jonathan had taken the boys and Katarina out somewhere, Aubrey was at Roxy's and she could take a breather, it was so hard to get a moment's peace with the house in constant chaos.

For the first time in years, she was able to lie down and just rest, to relax for a moment, she wondered if Jonathan had made the right decision in letting Aubrey go but she knew in the long run when Aubrey would be under constant supervision and not be able to have any social contact would make her climb the walls

She fell asleep wondering if this was her chance to reconnect with her daughter, to uncover the mysteries of Aubrey Rose Hart

When she felt familiar lips on her on hers, she smiled and open her eyes find familiar blue eyes staring back her

"Hello" She laughed

"Hi Gorgeous, what are you dreaming about?" He asked

"Hmm making love to my husband like in "From here to eternity"" She smiled as he kissed her neck

"Well it's not the beach but we can certainly improvise"

"Where are the kids?" She asked as he unbuttoned her shirt

"I left them in the guest house" He kissed her neck

"Wait I need to give Katarina her medicine and change Andrew's bandages," She started to get up but he pushed her down

"I took care of it, plus I stock the fridge, gave the boys some extra clothes and they know how to change Katarina's diaper and when to feed her if she's hungry, I made a deal with them to stay out in the guest house until morning"

"What did it cost you?"

"A playstation 4, 10 bloody games and no bedtime" He fumbled with her pants button

"So worth it!" She gave into her passion and they made love, she was timid at first waiting to hear the evitable yell of "Mama!" but soon she gave into her passions and began loudly making to her husband

Out in the guest room

Andrew and Lucas had been play their games for a few hours when Lucas decided to switch over to the Television and was channel surfing when Andrew yelled at him to stop

"Stop Stop!" Andrew ripped the remote out of his brother's hand

"Why"

"I think that's Aubrey on TV" Andrew switched to the news

"To Repeat, Wealthy Industrialist Jonathan Hart's daughter, Aubrey Rose Hart was involved in a fatal automobile tonight just outside of Mexico City, both the Driver of the vehicle Miss Hart was in and the driver of the opposite vehicle were both killed instantly, Miss Hart's condition is unknown at this point"

"We gotta go tell Mama and Daddy!" Andrew jumped up

"Maybe they got the wrong person, we don't want to worry them for nothing," Lucas didn't want to be the reason his big sister got into trouble

"Luc, she's hurt we gotta tell them!" Andrew picked up Katarina from her crib and raced to the house with Lucas behind him

Upstairs, they were making love again when a frantic "MAMA!" was heard

"Well this was nice while it lasted," She laughed and rolled her eyes

"MAMA!" Both boys were yelling

"Whatever it is, can wait until the morning," Jonathan wasn't finishing for any reason

Suddenly footsteps were heard outside of their door and Lucas banged on the door

"It's about Aubrey!"

Quickly throwing on robes, Jonathan opened the door and was nearly trampled by his determined sons

"What about Aubrey?" Jennifer asked

"Watch" Lucas turned on their television to the news while Andrew climbed on their bed with Katarina

Just then the phone rang

They had to wait a few more minutes for the commercials while Jonathan answered the phone, listening his face dropped, he put the phone on speaker

"Roxy, repeat what you said" He ordered into the phone

"The police called me, Aubrey was a car accident, I don't know what happened or if she's okay"

"Where?" Jennifer asked quietly

"Just outside of Mexico city" Roxy said quietly

"What was she doing in Mexico, she's supposed to be with you" Jonathan demanded to know

"She and Harvey took off, they crossed the border to get married"

"Married?!" Jennifer's voice hit an octave higher than normally

"Why did the police call you instead of us?" Jonathan was furious that his daughter would do this to them

"We switched phones, the police thought I was her and called my mother only I've been in San Francisco visiting my grandmother"

"Roxy, are you home now"

"Yes,"

"Fine, get some clothes together, you're coming with us"

"Yes Sir"

"Why are you bringing her with us," Jennifer was still reeling over the idea her 14 year had run off to get married

"Because we need her to watch the kids while we straighten out our wayward daughter and considering Roxy's the only one she's willing to listen to, maybe she can figure out some way to talk her out of this crazy marriage idea!"

"Here it is!" Andrew suddenly piped up

"We've just gotten confirmation on the victims involved in the automobile accident with the Wealthy Industrialist's daughter, Harvey Walter Kinkle, just 15 years old who apparently married the young Hart girl just this afternoon and the driver of the truck, Hector Hanson, 45. Police believe Mr. Hanson fell asleep at the wheel and struck the Firebird, which was registered to one Chad William Kinkle, which hit and Miss Hart head on, causing their car to flip over several times, we've also just learned that was ejected through the windshield, We're still waiting to learn Miss Hart's condition, stay tuned for continual updates" The news reporter said, just behind her, a car was pulled out of a ravine twisted like a pretzel, the blood splashed like paint

"My baby" Jennifer whispered and her boys wrapped her up in their arms in an attempt to comfort her


	4. Blindsided

When Aubrey had pictured her wedding, she imagined all the details, the perfect location, all the guests, her bridesmaids which would have been Roxy, Phoebe and their other best friend Evangeline, the groomsmen, her little brothers and Harvey's brother and if possible Katarina would have been a flower girl, She pictured her Mama in a pale blue dress, with diamonds dripping all over her, Daddy would have given her another just for the occasion and silver high heels that would make Daddy seem short.

She imagined her perfect dress being strapless with a mermaid train, a long veil and her mother's pearls, her Poppa's pinky ring and Daddy's handkerchief tucked in her hemline, her long red hair swept up.

Aubrey imagined her walk down the aisle on her Daddy's arm, to her future husband, she could feel her excitement building.

She never imagined she'd be sneaking over the border before she was able to drive a car, that her beautiful wedding dress would consist of a white dress "borrowed" from Phoebe's older sister's closet and that her wedding night would be spent under Harvey's aunt's roof.

She also didn't want to imagine how hard her mother would hit the ceiling when she found out.

But Aubrey still went through with it, she had actually stood up and exchanged vows with Harvey and were on their way crossing the border when it happened

Harvey had been telling her that he'd always take care of her, that she would always be his first priority and love.

She leaned over and kissed him, he took his eyes off the road for a second and when he turned back, a truck was bearing down on them, Harvey beeped the horn but it was too late and the crash was tremendous, the only sound was metal and screaming.

Aubrey was somehow sucked into the backseat while Harvey was thrown through the windshield.

She was unconscious for a bit and only woke up to hear someone calling her name, thinking it was Daddy waking her up for school, she reached out to feel her alarm clock but instead felt the leather chair beside her.

Slowly she opened one eye at a time and realized she was lying on her back looking up at the stars.

The roof of the car had been ripped off

Suddenly she heard her name being called again and she sat up slowly , putting a hand to her head, she realized she was bleeding

"Aubrey!" the voice kept calling her

It was Harvey

Forgetting about the pain in her head, Aubrey shot up and using her feet to push the passenger seat forward, she scooted through and outside.

As soon as her feet hit the sand, a wave of dizziness came over her, shaking her head Aubrey took in a deep breath and began to call for Harvey.

It was so dark outside; she didn't see him lying across the dashboard and on the hood, his body covered in blood and broken glass.

The scream she let out was epic, she scrambled on top of the car and took Harvey's head in her lap

"Aubrey," He was gasping for air

"It's okay, I'll call for help and You'll be okay" She whispered, tears pouring down her face

"No, it's better this way, you'll have a chance to see the world.."

"We'll see the world together, Harvey I promise we'll see everything that needs to be seen, please don't leave me!"

"One last kiss, please" His breath becoming shallow

"I'll kiss you but it won't be our last" she pressed her lips to his

"I love you" He whispered and then it was over, he was gone

"Oh No No please, No!" Aubrey wailed

She cried until she couldn't breathe anymore, she reached into her pocket and pulled out Ruby's cellphone

"PLEASE HELP ME!" She screamed and suddenly the world went dark

She wouldn't remember the police, fire department or ambulance screeching throughout the dark desert, the policeman asking her come down off the car so the EMT workers could declare Harvey dead. She refused to leave him, she couldn't, he was her husband and to leave him would break a vow. The police officer convinced her that she wouldn't be leaving him, that Harvey would be in good hands, he helped her off the car and began asking her question

When the workers finally removed Harvey, That's when she lost it, she screamed until she couldn't breathe anymore and when the ambulance drove off, she tried to chase after it but the police officer restrained her, she kept fighting until the blackness came over her again.

The next thing she remembered was someone pulling at her clothes and tubes being put into her body, she tried to fight whoever was pulling at her but instead felt a needle plunge into her arm.

Whatever they had given her, it made her feel as if she were floating, she had never felt like this and she wasn't sure she wanted the feeling to go away. Her body was exhausted.

"Aubrey Rose" a familiar voice called "Wake up Baby, It's Mama"

Aubrey opened her eyes to find the one person she needed most in the world and began to cry.

"It's okay, Baby," Jennifer climbed into the bed with her, cautious of the wires that Aubrey was hooked up.

Jonathan had fallen asleep in the chair beside the bed but woke up when his daughter started crying.

"Aubrey, can you tell us why you did this?" He asked his concern overwhelming; he saw the stitching on her face and the bruises that reminded so much of her mother's attack, Thank God her own scarring had faded after extensive plastic surgery and the injuries to her hand and leg only gave her minimal trouble, enabling her to have still have her writing career, which with the four kids and him wasn't easy.

Before Aubrey could speak, a voice none of them expected to hear came through the ICU curtains

"What the hell you mean I can't see my own granddaughter?!" Pearl usually never made a scene but in this case, flying 3,000 miles back from Florida and having been awake for nearly 25 hours made her a little testy

"Ma'am, Only person at a time!" a Nurse told her

"Well, I'm sure my son will leave for a moment to let me see her, now move or I'll be forced to move you myself" Pearl started opening curtains trying to find them

"Here comes trouble" Jonathan rolled his eyes and went out to find her

"I'll be right back, Baby," Jennifer climbed down off the bed

"Don't leave me, Mommy" Aubrey begged grabbing Jennifer's arm

Taken back at being called Mommy instead of Mama, Jennifer climbed back onto the bed

Jonathan stood back for a second and watched Pearl start to lose her temper, it didn't happen often but when she did and it wasn't aimed at him, it was comical

"Where the hell did you stash my grandbaby?!" Pearl yelled

"Pearl!" Jonathan called to her

Pearl had her back to him and when she turned around, he thought for sure her eyes would bore a hole in him

"Jonathan Charles Hart, I oughta kick your ass up and down the Sunset Strip!" She turned on her heels at him

"What'd I do?!" He asked putting his hands up in defense

"I find out from a stranger my granddaughter is nearly killed! You couldn't have called!"

"We didn't even know until we saw it on the news,"

"What the hell were you thinking letting that child run off like that?" Pearl wasn't going to stop yelling until she got some answers or ran out of breathe whichever came first

"I didn't even know, Pearl, I swear if I knew what was happening I would have stopped her."

"We can't lose her again" Pearl hugged Jonathan

"We won't," He kissed her head

"Is she okay?"

"A few bumps and bruises but other than she's going to be fine"

"Can I see her," Pearl asked letting go of Jonathan

"Sure but try not to tell yell too loud," Jonathan smiled

He led her to where Aubrey had been set up, as soon as he pulled back the curtain, Both Jennifer and Aubrey sat up.

"Oh little one, you've certainly done it this time," Pearl leaned over and kissed her head "Max would have your behind if he were here"

Although Max had been gone for such a long time, his presence was still everywhere and Aubrey thought of him as her guardian angel, she hoped he wouldn't be too mad. ..

"Did you have trouble getting here?" Jennifer asked breaking the silence

"No but the press is gathered downstairs, maybe you should go down and make a statement"

"How did they know?" Aubrey asked quietly

"Baby, it's all over the news and it's gone viral "Jonathan said taking her hand

"Oh no," She began to cry, her mistake would now haunt her forever and worse, Harvey wasn't there to protect her

"It's okay, Daddy and I will deal with this" Jennifer knew that this was humiliating for Aubrey, her privacy was being invaded and she wanted to grieve without people staring at her

"You stay here with her, I'll go" Jonathan offered

"No, I'm going with you"

"Darling," His voice took on a serious tone

"Jonathan, I'm going" Her voice became cold

They both left, barely making eye contact which was different than how they had arrived, she was clutching his arm like a life raft and he had a grip on her waist, fear and panic in their eyes

"It's my fault their fighting" Aubrey said studying her hands

"Yes, my darling girl, this is what your selfishness caused" Pearl raised her eyebrow

_In the elevator _

Jonathan saw Jennifer's face tighten up and knew she was angry, he wasn't sure if she was angry at him or the situation

"When we get in front of the cameras, don't say anything, just let me talk" He broke the silence

"No, I'm speaking this time"

"This time?" He didn't know what she was talking about

"Last time, you spoke for the both of us.. I never got to speak up for our daughter"

"Darling, you were recovering from a birth and the shock of her being taken, I didn't think you were up to do something as stressful as crying to the camera"

"Stop! Don't speak to me like I'm your client, I am your wife and damn it, this is our daughter!"

He realized he was shutting her out unintentionally, He took his role as the head of their household seriously but she was right. They had to do this together

He crossed the elevator and took her in his arms, "Your right Darling, I'm sorry"

"I'm so tired, We were having a normal life and now.."

"It'll be okay" He kissed her head

The elevator doors opened and revealed over a 100 members of the media, trying to make their way through was nearly impossible and Jennifer was nearly crushed but Jonathan had managed to keep a tight grip on her hand.

They managed to make it to the front of the Hospital. Jonathan spoke loudly and quickly "We'd like to make a brief statement on our daughter's behalf. Today our daughter was in a devastating car accident with a dear friend, a young man who had a bright future. Although the reasons are unclear as to why they came to Mexico, We will continue to stand behind our daughter as she recovers from her injuries, which thankfully are minor. We ask at this time for privacy in this difficult time..Darling?" Jonathan turned to Jennifer, who stepped forward pulling down her sweater

"Our Aubrey is young and mischievous as most teenagers are but she is also dealing with a traumatic loss, I have no doubt she will recover in time as she is a survivor. Thank you for your concern"

Suddenly the reporters began yelling out questions "What is this story about your underage daughter getting married"

"A Myth" Jonathan answered "The kids simply wanted to come down to Mexico for some fun in the sun"

"Mr. Hart, do you have a message for the parents of the other kid?"

"Yes, I'd like to extend our deepest sympathies, Harvey Kinkle was a good kid and his loss will be felt not only throughout his many friends but throughout the community as well"

"Mrs. Hart, How do you feel about Elliot Manning's upcoming release from prison?"

"Excuse me?" She was taken back, he was supposed to be serving 20 years!

"Mr. Manning is being released from prison in two months, do you think he'll resume his past history of stalking you"

Jonathan saw the color drain from her face and knew that he'd better step in

"My wife has no comment regarding that. We've moved on from that and are concentrating on our children, Thank you" He took her hand and led her back through the crowd and onto the elevator

"Did you know about Elliot getting released?" She demanded to know as soon as the doors closed

"Our Lawyers told me about it" He said quietly

"How long ago"

"Six months ago"

"You kept this from me for SIX months?!" She was so furious at him

"Darling, I was only trying to spare you pain" He reached out for her but she pushed him away

"When are you going to realize you can't save the world?" The elevator doors open and she walked out "Just go back to the hotel and check on the kids …I can't be around you right now"

"What does that mean?" He was shocked

"It means, you've finally broken my heart and my trust…" She began to cry


	5. Splinters in the Hart

_Henry__: What do you know? You build flying machines and you walk on water, and yet you know *nothing* about life! _

_Leonardo da Vinci__: I know that a life without love is no life at all. _

_Henry__: And love without trust? What of that? – Ever After _

Jennifer remembered every detail of her life with Jonathan, the first time she'd met him, sitting in a bar at London, she'd been beating herself about Elliot, for letting him hurt her again when this man sat down and ordered a martini, she wasn't paying attention until she dropped the contents of her purse and she'd bent down to throw everything back in

Suddenly two extra hands were handing her things to her, Jennifer was embarrassed to be seen on the flower in a Chanel business suit and she started to say what a klutz she was when she finally looked at the person helping her.

It was James Bond.

For the first time in her life, she stumbled over her tongue and instead continuing shoving things into her purse

"Do you have everything?" James Bond asked

She could only nod

"I hate when I do, then again I'm constantly losing keys and Max has to remind me to not go out in boxer shorts" He said smiled

"M-M-Max?" She stuttered

"My Houseman…without him I'd be lost …I'm Jonathan by the way"

"Jennifer" She stuck her hand out and when he shook it, her whole body became one giant goose bump

"Can I buy you a drink" He asked revealing his dimple again

"Sure.."

After he bought her a drink and took her dancing, she was afraid to let the night end and when he took her back to his hotel room, she never thought she'd go to bed with someone she knew less than four hours

But she knew that this was the moment, she'd never let him ago.

That night while he slept, she traced the birth-mark on the side of his stomach in the shape of a boot…she'd never felt so content in her life.

The first time he told her he loved her, they were standing in Harrods buying her clothes to go back to the states because she'd come to London with one suitcase and he wasn't immediately going back to California so she would need more essentials.

She was standing in the dressing room, trying on a dress that cost more than her apartment in New York, when he suddenly open the door and covered her mouth to keep from screaming, he pushed against the wall and kissed her removing his hand from her mouth.

"I love you" He whispered

"I love you too" This was the first time she'd said it to someone and meant it

The next few days were spent making love and going from hotel to hotel

The first big fight they ever had was when Jonathan had to cancel a trip to Cancun for their first year together anniversary and although she was disappointed, she'd understood but then she noticed he was making secret phones and acting nervous.

They were supposed to have met for lunch but he'd never showed up and when she went by his office, His secretary told her that Jonathan had been out of the office all day with an unfamiliar woman.

All day, she worried and Jonathan finally came home after midnight, she was sitting in the living room waiting for him

"Where have you been?" Jennifer demanded to know

"I've been in meetings," He sat down, he was exhausted

"We were supposed to have lunch together at the Ivy" She said trying to keep her anger in check

"Oh Damn, I'm sorry Darling" He did look apologetic

"Where were you?" She asked

"What is this? 20 questions, I had important meetings, leave it at that" he was starting to get frustrated

"Please tell me what is going on, I feel like I'm dating someone from Mission Impossible"

"I didn't realize we were attached at the hip and I needed to share my every move with you!" He stood up and went behind the bar

"Who is Kendall Jenner?" She reached into her pocket and pulled out a business card

"Where did you find that?" He was sure he'd lost that card

"Wrong Answer" She stood up and went upstairs to cry

"I'm not cheating on you Damn it!" He yelled after her

The silence in their tiny house on the Hollywood Hills lasted for days until finally he couldn't take it anyway more

"Darling, we have to talk" He cornered her in the bedroom.

"About what, You have other priorities, clearly I thought we had something special and you don't. I want a marriage and kids; you want to live like Warren Beatty with a different woman every night so I'm going back to New York."

"When," He was surprised she was willing to let go of what they had so quickly but he did admit, she had a point.

"End of the week, as soon as I get my things packed and shipped" He'd been so oblivious, she'd hadn't been doing laundry, she'd been packing her things.

"Come with me, please?" He was desperate to change her mind and he knew that if he didn't show her, what he'd been concocting, she might actually walk out of his life forever.

"All right" She narrowed her brown eyes and followed him out to the car, Jennifer knew he wasn't capable of hurting her but her fear was overtaking her curiosity

They drove for about 20 minutes, mostly in silence when Jonathan asked if she was sure about going back to New York.

"We want different things, It's best to make a clean break" She was staring out the window

She must have been really miserable to not realize they'd pulled off the freeway and into a residential neighborhood

"Where are we?"

"Just a minute" He drove up to a set of gates and after announcing himself, they drove up to a house in mid-construction

He got out of the car and opened her door, leading her to the front door where a big H had been inscribed

"What is this?" Jennifer asked looking at the beautiful house

"This is ..Our home"

"We have a home" She was hoping this meant a step in the right direction

"No we have a house as Jennifer Edwards and Jonathan Hart but this is the home of Jonathan and Jennifer Hart"

She threw her arms around him"And Kendall Jenner was"

"A real estate agent" He kissed her

Throughout 11 years of marriage and nearly 15 years of being together the fights, separations, the tears, the misunderstandings, the loss and recovery of their child and the births of their other three children as well as her attack and recovery, she'd always felt secure that he would never betray her, that their marriage was built on more than just hope and love, their partnership was equal.

But this time he'd gone too far, he'd kept something from her so awful that she wasn't sure that she could ever trust him again.

Elliot Manning was going to let out of Prison and it took their daughter nearly dying with her husband for Jennifer to find out.

She'd put on a brave face for Aubrey at the hospital but the moment she returned to the hotel and checked on the other three kids, her rage building.

Jonathan had gone back earlier at her request to check on the kids and give Roxy a chance to go visit Aubrey, When Jennifer came back to the hotel, she found him reading to all three of the kids.

It should have melted her heart but instead it only made her angrier.

He knew the moment she came back, that he was in for the biggest fight of their marriage but he wasn't prepared for what he saw after putting the kids to bed

She was throwing his clothes into a suitcase

"What are you doing?!" He called as she ran back and forth between the dresser

"I'm packing you, Did you leave any suits in the Closet?"

"Yes, Why?"

"I want to make you sure you don't go home without them"

"I'm not going home."

"Yes, you are, you and the Boys"

"Why?" He was surprised she was reacting this way, he'd expected a few tears and the slamming of a door but now she was kicking him out of their hotel

"The boys need to be in school and someone needs to be home with them"

"But what about Aubrey.."

"I will deal with Our Daughter on my own" She ran into the bathroom to get his shaving kit

"Jennifer, Stop!" He ordered her

"No, you shut me out of everything, so I'm going to do the same thing to you!" She stopped trying to shove his clothes into the suitcase

"I was trying to protect you!" He said leaning against the door

"What would have happened if I'd run into Manning on the street, in the grocery store, what if he'd come after our Daughter again?" she folded her eyes and stared him down

"He's got a thousand foot restraining and he's going to be monitored heavily"

"Oh like they haven't been tampered with before,"

"I swear, I was going to tell you!"

"Jonathan, Open your eyes! You try to save the world but you can't even save your own daughter!"

"I didn't know she was planning on eloping!"

"She's been miserable for nearly a year! It was either going to be eloping or swinging from the rafters of the house"

"Aubrey's a teenager, their all miserable!"

Somehow they'd switched topics and Jennifer was getting angrier even more.

"I want you to go home , I can't be around you, it's too hard" She said

"What if I refuse to leave,"

"Then I'll take the kids and move to another hotel"

"I've never seen this side of you before, why are you so angry?" He went to hug her but she pushed him away

"I'm angry because I'm wondering what else you kept from me, what don't I know about, I feel like I don't even know my own husband"

"I'm sorry"

"I'm sorry isn't going to work this time, I love you but we need time apart.."

"You want a separation?" He was hurt

"No I want to focus on our daughter without worrying that you'll lie to me again, I'll come home to Willow Pond with the girls and maybe things will be back to normal again"

"All right, I'll take the boys back home .." He relented he knew she wouldn't have done this without truly being hurt "We'll leave in the morning"

"Fine" She went into the other room but just before she could get through the door, he grabbed her by the arm and twirled her around, he kissed her, she tried to fight it but she gave in and melted.

They kissed until they both ran out of breath

Somehow they managed to go from the doorway to the bed and fell on top, they weren't making love just enjoying a moment of closeness that was desperately needed

"Darling, It's not that I wanted to keep this Manning thing from you, it's just I knew you'd be worried about us and the kids and I didn't want to stress you out further"

"I know but I feel like sometimes, you exclude me because it's easier than letting the little wife on everything, keep her barefoot and pregnant"

"I never once thought that.."

"It's hard to tell sometimes.."

"If I did that, then Darling I'm sorry"

"I still think it would be best if you went home, I'm so confused and I think Aubrey needs some alone time with her Mama"

"You're probably right" He was willing to go along with anything she said

Jennifer was starting to fall asleep when someone started banging on

" Mrs Hart! !" a voice called frantically

"What is it, Ruby?" Jennifer called

"I have something you need to see" Roxy opened the door without being told to and nearly doubled back when she saw them on the bed "Whoops sorry"

"It's all right, what's the matter Roxy?" Jonathan asked

"I think you better see this," Jennifer recognized Aubrey's IPAD with the Breaking Bad stickers "Aubrey gave me this to hold and I went to check my email, I opened her e-mail by accident and found this, along with others"

The latest e-mail read

"_I know what you've been told but the truth is coming out and when it does, We'll be together, my darling daughter- Daddy_

_Attached is something you deserve to see _

Jonathan opened the attachment and saw it was Aubrey's birth certificate but listed as her father was Unknown

"Oh my god He's back! Damn it I knew he'd go after her!" Jennifer went into the bathroom and slammed the door but just before it closed, Jonathan caught it with his hand

"Why aren't I listed on this?" He demanded to know

"Because I wasn't sure if you were going to stick around after she was born, I should have changed it years ago but I never thought about it" Jennifer explained

"How could you do that to me?" Jonathan was hurt

"I was angry at the time.." Jennifer hugged him

"Uh,Mr and Mrs. Hart, you've got bigger fish to fry" Roxy said opening her webpage

"Million dollar suit filed against Aubrey Rose Hart and Family for the Death of Harvey Walter Kinkle, charges expected to be brought against the young Miss Hart for vehicular manslaughter. Miss Hart is believed to have been driving the car that caused the fatal crash that claimed the life of Young Harvey Kinkle. Pending investigation.. Miss Hart is currently recovering from minor injuries "

"She's 14, she wasn't driving that car!" Jonathan

"Our daughter's life is never going to be peaceful" Jennifer began to cry "This is your fault!"

"My fault?!"

"You let her go!"

"Apparently I'm at fault for everything that's happened in our daughter's life, is that what you are saying?"

"Yes" She said narrowing her eyes

"When did your heart go cold?" He asked walking away from her

"The moment you let our daughter go missing" She said to Roxy, who was sitting on the chair "How many of those e-mails are there?"

"About 25"

"Then one by one we're going to figure out who this person is..Aubrey has suffered enough"


	6. Deja Vu all over again

Jennifer never imagined that she would wind up at the American Consultant out of Mexico City begging for her daughter's life, she imagined graduations, proms all sorts of things you'd do when you have a kid but this was totally unexpected, a daughter possibly charged with vehicular manslaughter when she wasn't even old enough to operate a car.

Thank God Jonathan was with her, after he'd walked away from her and Roxy Jennifer had started to pack up the boys and their clothes when Pearl came in

"What are you doing?" Pearl asked watching her

"I'm packing up the boys to go home"

"Why? Aubrey's not getting released for another few days" Pearl was confused

"I'm sending Jonathan and the boys home, I can handle this"

"Can you really? Your daughter is about to be charged for a crime she didn't commit and between the press and the police, you need backup"

"I have you, Don't I?"

"I don't have as much pull as Jonathan"

"Pearl, C'mon Yes You" Jennifer rolled her eyes

"All right, I do but this time…You should be dealing with this with your husband"

"He broke my trust"

"Over the Manning Thing"

"You knew about it too" Jennifer wondered if everyone knew about it except her

"No but next time you fight, make sure you don't scream so the whole hotel can hear you"

"I'm angry at him!" Jennifer slammed down her hands on top of the suitcase

"Stay angry, ruin your marriage, show your children what happens when you let anger consume you instead of showing them that love does conquer all" Pearl folded her arms and Stared Jennifer down

"How can I?"

"Just hear him out, that's all anyone can really ask"

Jennifer was defeated; she exhaled and walked out to the hallway where Jonathan was studying his phone

"Jonathan" She called

He looked up and she saw the hurt in his eyes but that quickly turned to anger, he turned and walked away from her.

"Jonathan!" She called louder

Nothing, he continued walking away from her..

Desperate she yelled the very thing she knew would make him turn around

"I'm pregnant!"

He stopped and studied her face, walking back to her, he grabbed her by the waist and kissed her

"Are you really?"

"No but if that's what I have to say to get your attention"

"Well, it's definitely an effective way to get one's attention!"

She had to laugh and kissed him again.

"Are we done fighting" He asked quietly

"For the moment, I'm still angry at you over keeping that from me but we need to concentrate on our daughter"

"Helluva kid, isn't she? And to think, we created three more just like her!" He put his arm around her shoulder "What do you say, we go back and make a 4th Hart?"

"I think, We'd better go deal with our firstborn before we think about creating a newborn" She smiled, He'd always talked about them having another baby but she wasn't sure she could, she was so overwhelmed with the other kids and to add an infant would be completely overwhelming.

Later that evening, sitting in the American Consulate, the butterflies in Jennifer's stomach were growing by each second and she wondered how bad it would look decorum wise if she threw up all over the nice man in front of her desk.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hart, I've looked into your daughter's case and the police have a strong case, she's the only survivor and her total recall of the events is sketchy at best." Miguel Green opened a file in front of them and scanned the files

"Aubrey is a child, she doesn't know how to drive a car and I know that Harvey would have never let her drive, especially his brother's car" Jonathan defended his daughter

"With all due respect, Sir, you didn't even know she'd crossed the border"

"Well my Wife and I will take that responsibility of her actions ourselves, in the meantime, what do we do about the police actions against our daughter"

Miguel was silent for a few moments, took his phone off the hook and leaned forward, motioning them to lean forward as well

"I could lose my job as well as my life for telling you to do this but you look like honest parents, Take your daughter out of Mexico immediately before she's arraigned and it's too late, she'll get lost in the system and it'll take years to get her out. They want to close the case with minimal exposure and the only person they could possibly charge is your daughter but you have to do it immediately because once she's arraigned, it's too late and it'll be a felony"

"But isn't that a felony anyway, skipping bail and fleeing?" Jennifer asked

"No, once they realize she's gone, they won't follow up I can personally guarantee that"

Jonathan thought about it and realized that Miguel was right, they needed to get her out of the country immediately, she needed to return to her normal life to cope.

"Thank you so much" They both shook Miguel's hand

"Don't thank me, just get your daughter out of here now" Miguel showed them to the door

Overwhelmed, they stood outside Miguel's office, just trying absorb everything that had been told to them.

"How are we going to do this?"

"Like we did before when we brought her home from Kenya"

"The cover of darkness but we didn't have the other kids to worry about!" Jennifer kicked the wall in front of her, frustrated

"It'll be alright" He hugged her

"How can it be, our daughter is a fugitive!" Jennifer started to cry

"She's not a fugitive if she doesn't get convicted, c'mon, let's go spring our daughter"

Jennifer wiped her eyes and followed him

At the hospital

Jonathan used his powers of reasoning and asked to speak with Aubrey's doctor once they arrived, using Jennifer as a translator, they asked if their daughter was moved, would it be a threat to her immediate health? She only had minor bruises and cuts but still, they were keeping her for observation just in case she started to bleed internally.

The Doctors said, as long as she didn't overexert herself, she could be released but she needed to be examined by her own doctor the moment they got back to LA.

They walked holding hands back to the room where Aubrey was staying, just before they reached the door, they heard an unfamiliar voice

"Miss Hart, you are being with vehicular manslaughter, do you wish to have a lawyer or your parents present?" the voice asked quietly

"No" Aubrey's voice had taken on a vacant tone, even from a distance her mother knew she was checking out mentally

"You have the right to legal counsel, Miss, I advise you to take that into consideration" The Police Officer was trying not to be too hard on her

"Whatever, just arrest me or something I don't care" Aubrey wanted to just pull the covers over her head and maybe if she woke up, she'd be back in her room at Willow Pond

"Excuse me, what do you think you're doing?!" Her mother's normally soft voice had taken on a shrill side

"I'm sorry Mrs. Hart but it's protocol," The officer said

"She's a minor, you can't arrest her without us being present" Jonathan said narrowing his blue eyes

"I can if she waves consent"

"Well she doesn't, and until she's mature or has the emotionally ability to, She won't" Jennifer said standing in front of their daughter

"Whatever, arrest me, don't arrest me I don't care" Aubrey piped up staring at her hands

"Officer, Excuse us for a moment" Jonathan asked, the Police Officer nodded and went behind the curtain

"Aubrey Rose, Do you realize what's going to happen if you are arrested, You'll be taken away and Daddy and I won't be able to help you. Now is the time to be a grown up Kiddo" Jennifer took her daughter's face into her hands

"Mama, I loved him" Aubrey cried into her mother's hands

"I know, Baby"

"Officer, we'll bring her down to the station in the morning" Jonathan spoke quietly to the police officer who nodded and walked away

"If we're going to do this ,we'd better do it now" Jennifer whispered quickly

"What are we doing?" Aubrey wiped her nose with the back of her hand

"Never you mind, just sit there and look pretty" Jonathan said before leaving to speak with the nurses about taking out the tubes in her

Just as they had done before when they brought their daughter home from Kenya when she was two, they smuggled her out of the hospital and into a waiting car, stopping only briefly to pick up their other children, Roxy and Pearl, who was sure that they would be arrested on the spot.

Aubrey was silent the whole ride to the tarmac because she was emotionally exhausted, as they boarded the plane, Roxy took her friend aside

"Aubrey, are you alright?" Roxy looked into the sad eyes of her best friend

"No and I'll never be"


	7. Broken Harted

After Aubrey had fallen asleep from crying on HART 1, the boys were playing their video games while Jennifer fed Katarina and Jonathan worked on some files, Pearl was reading and Roxy was studying Aubrey's kindle looking for clues when she noticed something off.

"Mrs. Hart, I think I found something that's off," Roxy whispered

"Roxy, you don't have to whisper" Jonathan said glancing at her over his glasses

"Sorry, right um..I think I found something that might help us with finding out who has been sending Aubrey all these emails" Roxy was hesitant because she knew that Mrs. Hart wasn't a fan of hers but she was trying at least to make an effort.

"Show me," Jennifer handed Katarina over to Jonathan, and sat next to Roxy

Roxy pulled up four certificates, two birth and one death ,it was the last one that made Jennifer's heart sink.

"Mrs. Hart, wasn't Aubrey born in Maryland? Why does she have a Florida certificate as well?"

"I have no idea," Studying the certificate which said "Aubrey Rose Hart was born on March 17th to Jennifer Edward" Jennifer looked at Jonathan in horror

"Whoever filed that clearly didn't get their facts straight," Jonathan commented, "Roxy, send me that certificate now"

Roxy typed quickly and Jonathan opened the file, Jennifer stood up and read over his shoulder, "Remember when she was born, I didn't fill out the form, you did" Jennifer said reading and remembering, she'd just given birth and was so exhausted, she'd nearly dropped her own 6lb baby, why did she ever think she'd filled out that certificate? Of course she didn't and Jonathan was on both her birth certificate and the death certificate, how could she have nearly thrown away her marriage?

"So the other birth certificate is a forgery, we nearly killed each other over a fake, Forgive me" Jonathan asked looking at her

"I'm the one who needs forgiveness, "She crinkled her nose and kissed his forehead "Now let's figure out who filed this"

"Why would someone use your name, Mrs. Hart?" Roxy watched them interact with each other

"To Screw with my mind and I think I know whose behind this" She reached for the Cell phone but before she could dial, Andrew sat down at the table

"Mom, She's up" He whispered

"Alright I'll go check on her" Jennifer walked to the back of the plane where Lucas had put down the video game and crawled into bed with his sister, Jennifer stood back and watched, she remembered how, after her own attack and recovery, She'd get up to check on the kids and find Aubrey in her sleeping bag in between the cribs, every night for months, After tucking Aubrey into her bed, she'd wait until she hear the door knob turn and open the master bedroom door a crack, to see Aubrey drag Simba, the sleeping bag and her pillow, for such a little girl, she was determined.

But Aubrey never allowed them to catch her sleeping in the nursery, she'd wake up as the sun would shine through the bay window and scoot back to her room, Aubrey did this until the boys grew out of their cribs and then they would pile together.

Some nights it sounded like a sleepover that never ended but as long as it didn't end in tears, they never minded.

So when Jennifer heard Lucas comfort his Big Sister, she wasn't surprise but she was in for the surprise of her life at the conversation that she overheard.

"it's okay, Sissy" He whispered stroking her hair "Maybe when we get home, you'll feel better"

"No I won't" Aubrey began to cry again

"Please, Sissy, don't cry.."

"Why not, everyone I love leaves or dies" She began to sob

"I'm not dying or leaving you," Lucas suddenly felt like the big brother, he'd be waiting for this moment literally his entire life, His Big Sister needed him and He would do anything for her

Aubrey suddenly sat up, wiped her face and turned to her baby brother ,"What would you say if I wasn't your real sister?"

"What?" He was surprised at her question, not be his real sister? How could that be, especially since their Daddy was constantly saying the older Aubrey got, the beautiful like their mother she became

"I think I might be adopted" Aubrey studied her brother's face, from his dimples to his brown eyes, everything about Lucas screamed Jonathan Hart, even how he interacted with people

Suddenly the door to the bedroom pushed open and their mother came barging in," Lucas Maxwell, Out now!"

Lucas didn't have to be told twice, he simply hugged his sister and squeezed past their mother, whose eyes had gone what Daddy referred to as Power-Angry, when she narrowed them; it meant she was on the warpath.

And for them to get the hell out of her way

"Aubrey Rose, I have been listening to you and before you start on invasion of privacy, let me tell you one thing, you are not adopted, not in the slightest I was there when you were born, trust me you are not adopted, so get that idea out of your head now"

"But Mama," Aubrey protested

"But nothing, you and I go back 14 years and 8 months, we were a couple before even me and your Daddy were together, so whoever gave you that idea is clearly insane, now let's also get this clear, you are not responsible for what happened to Harvey, it was an accident, I just thank God you weren't killed as well"

"Am I the reason you and Daddy broke up before I was born?" Aubrey had been sitting on that one for awhile

Jennifer had to sit down to catch her breath, "What?! No! Where did you get that idea?"

"From your Journals, According to them, because of me, you and Daddy broke up"

"Yes, We did break up but you brought us back together, did you read that how Daddy came to visit us at Grandpa's house and you were so excited about him, you decided to come early"

"Why didn't you look for me when Manning kidnapped me?"

"What? Aubrey Rose, we searched for you for nearly two years, when everyone said it was a waste, we still and we would be looking for you, Baby, there was never any doubt in my mind that you'd come back to us. We told you all this before, you're our miracle baby, you made us a family "Jennifer was pretty sure the sound of her heart breaking was drowning out the engine of the plane "Why this is suddenly coming up, is it because of those e-mails"

"Yes" Aubrey stared at her hands

"Do you remember Daddy saying that when He would get out of line, Poppa Max would box his ears to keep him in line, Well that's what I'm going to do every time you forget. "

"Mama, is possible to have two mothers?" Aubrey had been asking herself that question herself for so long, she wondered if now was the right time..

"What do you mean?" Jennifer studied Aubrey's face, trying hard to keep from crying

"I mean I've had dreams where I'm in a dark room and someone, who looks a lot like you Mama, holds me but I know it's not you because I don't feel safe with this person, who is she?"

"Oh Baby, you remember how Daddy and I told you about the lady who took care of you while we were searching," Old Anger boiled up in Jennifer and she couldn't take one more question.

How could she answer questions about the person, who'd helped kidnapped her baby, could she defend this person? The feelings she had thought she'd buried nearly a decade ago suddenly came back.

"Mama, are you okay?" Aubrey realized that she was causing her mother's face to go red and she was white knuckling the blanket

"I'm fine, Baby why don't you get some rest while I go talk to Daddy" Jennifer kissed Aubrey's head and left the bedroom.

"Darling, what's the matter?" Jonathan asked, He'd gotten up to use the bathroom and when his wife came out looking like she'd gladly kill someone with her bare hands, he knew that it was something that had been building for sometime

"Where's Kati?" Jennifer said grabbing him around the waist

"Roxy's finishing feeding her and Andrew's going to change her, what's wrong?"

Jennifer just sighed, and melted into him, she was so exhausted she didn't think she'd have the strength to speak

"I don't want to go home, I think we'll be safer at Hillhaven" She whispered

"That place has been empty for months, I didn't think you'd want to go back" Jonathan said

Just before the boys last birthday, Stephen Edwards had taken a massive stroke and died in his bed, unfortunately it was his houseman's day off and Stephen wasn't found until it was too late.

It shouldn't have come as a total surprise, as he'd been in declining health but when that call came and the scream from his wife was echoed through the house, Jonathan was so sure that one of the kids had been kidnapped until he realized that three of the four where in the same room with him.

Just going through the emotions of arranging Stephen's funeral took 10 years off his life, every detail had to be perfect, anything less was unacceptable and his wife's grief along with the needs of his children, who weren't totally devastated at the loss of their Grandfather, he'd hardly come around, they'd always had to go to him and he made them feel like if they weren't on perfect behavior, they'd be in trouble. They were much more attached to Pearl, because they saw her every day and she was ingrained in their lives, she knew their friends, their every move and what things they were interested, she made it a point to be involved and Pearl was grateful that Jonathan and Jennifer was allowed her such access to all four of them.

Stephen's funeral, as directed by his son in Law was a brief service followed by a cremation and burial with his wife, He'd requested no flowers but of course his daughter insisted.

Afterwards, while Stephen's former colleagues remembered him, Jennifer had stepped out of the house and cried, she hadn't wanted him or the kids to see him fall apart but at that moment, she had to.

She was a little girl lost.

He found her with the tears streaming down her face and let her cry, when the boys came out to tell them, more people had arrived to pay their respects, he waved them off.

Slowly, she had recovered from her loss but there were still moments when the grief would hit and she would have to relive her loss all over again.

"I don't want to go back there but Aubrey's not safe at Willow Pond and I don't want to overwhelm her, I want her to recover from this someplace peaceful"

"Well, instead of going all the way to Maryland, Why don't we take them to the beach house, it'll be peaceful but close enough to get home if we have to"

Jennifer nodded

"What's really going on?"

"My baby thinks we don't love her anymore and I don't know how to change her mind"

"She's just upset"

"She's remembering and what's scary, I think she prefers that woman over me"

Before he could tell Jennifer, that she was crazy and that Aubrey's grief was talking, and that with time, their daughter would forget even more her time in Kenya and the woman who'd taken care of her.

All the hoping in the world that she'd forgotten those precious years was gone in an instant.

Just then, the plane started to bounce with turbulence

"Mr. and Mrs. Hart, we need you to take your seats" the flight attendant asked of them.

"Is there something wrong?" Jonathan asked alarmed

"I'm not sure but in case we have to prepare for a crash landing, we should put life jackets on the kids" the flight attendant looked frightened

Aubrey, as soon as the plane started to bounce stumbled out of the bedroom and ran to a seat next to her brothers.

In an instant, she wondered if she survived the car crash in order to die with her family in a plane crash.

Suddenly the sound of her baby sister wailing from the pain in her ears was drowned out by the sound of the engine

Hunched over in his seat, Jonathan reached for Jennifer's hand to squeeze

"Remember I love you!" She shouted

The roar grew louder and louder…


	8. Change of plan

HART 1 bumped along the tarmac at LAX Airport and finally skidded to a stop, nearly throwing them around like Luggage, as soon as they were given the all clear, Jennifer went to make sure their children were still in one piece, Pearl and Jonathan went to speak with the pilots

"Mike, What the hell was that?!" Jonathan demanded of his pilot, the very same man who'd helped bring Aubrey home nearly a dozen years ago

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hart, one of the engines blew" Mike looked like he'd aged 10 years in a half hour

"How is that possible?" Pearl demanded, sure her glossy black hair was now filled with greys

"I'm not sure," Frank, the copilot admitted

"You're not sure?!" Pearl's voice carried "Wasn't the plane checked before we left"

"Yes, absolutely and I promise, first thing tomorrow we'll go over the plane with a fine tooth comb" Mike promised

"See it to, and if it's not up to satisfaction, I promise heads will roll" Jonathan was exhausted and furious, if pushed hard enough, he'd fire the whole crew

"Daddy, are we a target" Andrew asked coming into the cockpit

Jonathan, who was more than off his game at this point wasn't sure how to answer that, instead muttered "Ask your mama" and just pointed him back to the seating area of the plane to pack up his things

"All right, guys, we're going back to the beach house, I want everyone to pack up their stuff because we're not coming back for missing jackets, game cartridges, books whatever" Jennifer knew that one or all four would leave something behind

It always happened and usually right before Bedtime, the discovery was made and tears would flow.

"Mama, why aren't we going back to Willow Pond?" Aubrey asked packing up her favorite pillow and blanket

"Because Daddy figured we all could use a bit of rest," Jennifer busied herself packing up the baby's things so Aubrey wouldn't see the fear in her eyes

"It's because he's afraid if we go home, I'll lose my mind isn't it?" Aubrey's eyes began to fill with tears

"No because he's afraid I'll lose mine, now take Roxy down to the car before we forget her" Jennifer said picking up Kati

"I'm not a puppy, Mrs. Hart!" Roxy laughed putting her bag on her arm

"Well, close as we'll ever get, now go"

The girls descended off the plane and Andrew followed behind them, Lucas was just about to leave when his mother grabbed him by the collar

"Lucas Maxwell, I'd like to speak with you please" Jennifer said shifting Kati to her other hip

"I'll take her, Jenny" Pearl offered and carried Kati down the stairs as well

"Mama, what did I do?" He hated the feeling he was in trouble when he'd had done anything

Jonathan stood behind his wife, unsure himself of her next move

"I just wanted to say, I'm so proud of you for taking such good care of Aubrey earlier and I promise, from now on Daddy and I will deal with her" She bent down and kissed his forehead, He was getting to be so tall.

It seemed like yesterday, he was sitting in the front seat of his Daddy's car pretending to drive when he could barely stand on his own two feet.

The child, who once screamed if she even came into his eye-line was growing into a man and suddenly she felt like the past 11 years had only been nine seconds ago.

"Mama, I have to tell you something," Lucas wanted to confess that he'd known about his sister's elopement and that he was responsible for not saying anything which could have saved the love of his Big Sister's life from going through the windshield.

"Daddy !" Aubrey called from the ground in a panic

"We'll talk later, Son, I promise" Jonathan ruffled his son's head and noticed that Lucas's face immediately fell

"What's the matter, Baby?" Jonathan took Jennifer's hand and walked down to the tarmac

To find his press secretary, Ginger and at least four policemen standing behind her, including Lt Herschel Grey, who looked like he'd rather be anywhere but there

"Jonathan, Jennifer," Herschel shook Jonathan's hand

"Isn't it a bit late for a visit?" Jonathan smiled

"I wish this were just a courtesy visit, but there's a situation we need to deal with right now"

"Oh no, Jonathan" Jennifer couldn't handle another crisis

"Put the kids in the car, I'll take care of it" Jonathan could see the crack forming in her face.

Normally she would have been angry that he was shutting her out but in this moment, all she wanted to do was go home, drink wine by the fire and make love to her husband

She kissed his lips and walking toward the waiting limo, she had a feeling whatever was going on was going to be bigger than anything they'd have to deal with

"Alright Herschel, what's the problem, keep in mind it's late, my kids are within screaming range and my fuse is shorter than normal"

"We received a threat earlier this evening and we need to put you under protection"

"Threat against whom, my daughter?" Jonathan was alarmed

"No against you"

"Who called it in"

"It was from a pre-paid cell, what we're thinking is, go back to Willow Pond, we'll up the security, and no-one comes in or out without being on a list"

"I won't have my children compromise their childhoods, everything is going to appear as normal as possible, I don't care what the cost, whether it's money or my life."

"Understood, but In order to keep you all safe, we're going to have to move guards in the house, or at least the guest house"

"Fine" Jonathan nodded his approval and walked back to the limo where the boys had passed out, Roxy and Aubrey were watching a movie together and Kati was playing with her toy "Hey Gorgeous, where's Pearlie"

"Making a phone call" Jennifer pointed out the car window where Pearl's face had reached red and it looked like she was going to blow her head off her shoulders

"All right, change of plans, we're going home"

"Why, what's the matter" She suddenly looked nervous

"I'll explain once we get the kids settled" He kissed her hand

Pearl had decided to take the bull by the horns, she'd overheard Jonathan's conversation with Lt Grey and she knew immediately that she would have to find one of her "friends" to dig out whoever had threatened her boy's life

"I don't care Sam, find out who it now! This isn't some ordinary schmuck, this is my son! You have 24 hours or I go tell Stan you still haven't learned your lesson and need a little time back in the joint!"

"Schmuck, joint?!" Jonathan was laughing "You were married to Max for entirely too long!"

"What can I say, sometimes you gotta do whatcha gotta do" She imitated her late husband

It was hard to believe nearly 10 years had gone by; it seemed like only yesterday She'd been standing with him at the courthouse, wondering if this was such a good idea to do without Jennifer or Jonathan but he'd insisted that this was the right thing to do, they were doing this because soon, with the babies and Aubrey, they wouldn't have time and why not now? Max must have known he was on borrowed time and that to be married made the most sense.

"What did you find out," Jonathan put his arm around her shoulder

"My informant is going to do a little digging and see if Manning made any friends in prison and from there, we'll decide how to go on, and bottom line we need to end this now before someone gets seriously hurt or killed, again" Pearl immediately thought of her poor sister.

"I agree, we need to get this over" Jonathan said leading her to the limo, just before he could get in himself, his Publicist came running up to him.

"Mr. Hart, we need to put out a statement regarding Aubrey and her involvement with the Kinkle boy" She was breathless

"It's late, how about No Comment" and without a word, he got into the car and left.

"Damn" Ginger whispered…

The drive home seemed like it took longer than usual, maybe because their driver had to make sure the security detail was following.

Jonathan and Jennifer didn't speak, the exhaustion had finally sunk in and the only goal once they got to Willow Pond was to sleep hard, instead he held her hand while she stared out the window.

When they finally pulled up to the house, it seemed like they'd been gone for years instead of less than 72 hours, the boys scrambled out of the car while Aubrey and Roxy followed slowly behind the, Aubrey was nervous because she knew that going back to the room where she'd nearly had sex with Harvey would make her cry again, Roxy understood without words and took her hand, they were best friends and soul sisters, despite that the relationship seemed unorthodox, Roxy being tall, blonde and hugely popular and Aubrey being just under 5'2 with her blackish red hair and not quite as popular.

Jennifer reached for Kati in her car seat, while Jonathan and Pearl went inside to speak with the guard detail about what was expected of them.

"Alright fellas, upstairs, teeth brushed pajamas on and lights out, no questions, stalling or any of the usual tactics, you have school tomorrow!" Jennifer gave them their marching orders, she was surprised they were still up and ready to party all night, the crash would happen and soon. "Girls.."

"Mrs. Hart, I'll take care of her" Roxy smiled as Aubrey walked blindly into the house.

"I think I was wrong about you, Roxy Leigh" Jennifer didn't realize just how good a person she really was and that maybe all her misconceptions and judgment were for nothing.

Jennifer went upstairs without stopping, changed the baby into her pajamas and put her in the crib, It still broke her heart that Katarina was almost four and still in the crib, at this point she should have been in a big girl bed but she didn't have the muscle control to keep from rolling off the bed and onto to the floor.

Jennifer kissed her head and left the nursery, her next stop was the boys rooms, Andrew was laying on his bed, asleep, it looked like he'd started to change his clothes but had fallen asleep half way through. Jennifer smiled and finished dressing him. He may have been 11 years old but he still had the same habits that he'd had as a smaller child.

The next door was Lucas's but he was gone, figuring he was still brushing his teeth, she went to the bathroom but he wasn't there as well.

He had to be somewhere in the house, she wasn't worried too much, instead she checked in on the girls, Aubrey was sleeping while Roxy laid beside her reading

"Is everything okay" Jennifer whispered

"She cried herself to sleep" Roxy whispered back

"My poor baby" Jennifer kissed her forehead "You'll get past this, we all will"

Jennifer left them and went to her bedroom, slipping out of her clothes; she took a quick shower and put on her pajamas.

All while wondering what was taking Jonathan so long.

Heading downstairs, she suddenly felt self-conscious, afraid that a member of the security would see her in her pajamas, moving quickly she went to the kitchen to find Lucas eating cookies.

"Lucas Maxwell, didn't I tell you it's time for bed." She was too tired to be angry with him

"I needed to talk to you and Daddy" Lucas said in between bites

"About what, son?" Jonathan never once turned down an opportunity to talk with his children, he'd never had that growing up and he always said that if he had children, he would make every effort to listen to them

Lucas took a long sip of his milk, wiped his face and sat back in the chair, aiming to choose his words carefully

"I think it's my fault Harvey died" He finally spit out the words

"What?" both Jonathan and Jennifer said, out of all the omissions he could ever make in his life, being responsible for the death of his sister's boyfriend wasn't one of them

"I saw Aubrey leaving and I didn't stop her, I'm sorry, please don't hate me" He began to cry

"Oh Lucas," Jennifer bent to his level while Jonathan sat back in awe "You didn't cause this, it didn't matter if you stopped her, Aubrey is very stubborn which is a Hart trait, she would have found a way"

"Son, why didn't you say something earlier?" Jonathan asked his heart breaking, the torment must have been eating at Lucas for so long

"Because you and Mama were arguing and I didn't want to get into trouble"

"You will never get into trouble if you are honest with us" Jonathan said "And you have nothing to feel bad about.."

"Am I still your boy"

"Sweetheart, I can honestly say ..your one of my four favorite children" Jennifer hugged him "Now say goodnight and go upstairs"

"Goodnight Mama, Daddy" Lucas pushed his chair back and hugged Jonathan before going upstairs

"That was gut wrenching" Jonathan commented as soon as Lucas was out of the kitchen

"I can't go through another guilt filled night, it's too hard" Jennifer admitted putting the glasses into the sink "Do you remember when we got together, we promised every day would be an adventure"

"Yeah.."

"I can honestly say, I'd kill for a dull moment right now"

He laughed and took her upstairs but not before stopping in front of Lucas's bedroom, where he'd apparently flopped down asleep in his clothes

"Penny for your thoughts" Jennifer whispered

"I'm just counting my blessings and wishing we had some sort of protective bubble to put around them"

"I wish that every day but something you said to me a long time ago is more than more important than ever"

"What's that"

"That as long as we teach them to grow up to be good people, the rest will take care of itself"

"One of my finer statements, Come on, let's go to bed" he took her hand and guided her to the bedroom; he changed his pajamas and climbed into bed with her.

They'd fallen asleep when the phone rang, without opening an eye, Jonathan reached for the phone and handed it to his wife "It's for you.." He was constantly amazed that despite a phone next to her head, she never answered and a few times he'd answered the phone and handed it to her without looking, he'd accidentally clocked her in the eye, this time he managed to do it without worrying about leaving bruises

"Hullo" Jennifer mumbled into the phone

"Get your ass out of bed and downstairs now, My informant came through big time!" Pearl slammed the phone down

"Who was it" Jonathan mumbled into the pillow

"Your mother, get up" Jennifer hated being woken up and having only slept for a few hours, she was going to tear Pearl's head off

"I don't have a mother" He was still asleep

"Alright, how about the pain in the ass woman who lives in our guest house" She was bitter and it was showing

"Oh her" Jonathan still didn't budge

"Jonathan, I'm leaving you for Robert Redford and saddling you with the kids..all four of them!" She threatened

"What?!" He jumped up

"Now that you're awake, let's find out what Pearl wants" Jennifer put on her robe and went downstairs

Pearl was sitting at the table, looking like she'd just been told her husband was back from the grave when the both of them came into the kitchen

"Make this quick, Pearl, Kids are going to be up in a couple hours and I'd like to not nap at work" Jonathan said reaching for the coffee pot

"My informant found out something huge.."Pearl paused "How long did you know Elliot Manning before you dated him"

"A couple months, why?"

"Did you know he had a daughter?" Pearl raised an eyebrow

"Ridiculous, he hates kids.."

"It's possible to have a kid and not know about it, Darling" Jonathan pointed out

"What about his daughter, Pearl?" Jennifer wanted to go back to sleep, struggling to keep her eyes open, the last time she'd been this exhausted was right after her last baby had been born and that was because the colic kept Kati screaming all night long

"His daughter is your Publicist, Jonathan"

"Impossible!" Jonathan dropped the coffee cup he was holding in surprise

"Nothing is impossible, Darling" Jennifer said sadly..

"Does he know about this daughter, Manning?" Jonathan asked bending down to pick up the pieces

"Long enough for her to pay for his legal defense when he gets out in a month" Pearl pulled out legal documents, it looked like a financial statement and several cashed checks all made out to the Prison Elliot was currently in

"You mean we're paying for his legal defense since she works for us," Jennifer threw her hands up in the air and went to the kitchen door, she paused to say something but at that moment, she couldn't even breathe

Jonathan knew that a fight was about to happen, he wasn't surprised at that but what surprised him was that when he walked into their bedroom, she was staring at a picture that Pearl had taken of them, with all the kids in front of the Hart Industry building's new children's wing, He remembered how long it took for them wrangle the boys into smiling and not crossing their eyes, Kati had burst into tears moments before and Aubrey was angry she'd had to give up an afternoon of cruising her friends to be there, but somehow Pearl managed capture them.

Jonathan coughed before speaking

"Just don't" She whispered "I know you didn't realize that Ginger was Elliot's daughter, I'm not angry with you, I know you'll do the right thing"

"I can't fire her, not now, not without solid evidence"

"What has to happen for you to do that, does our family has to die before you fire this woman?!" Jennifer threw the picture onto the night table.

"It's not that! I'm afraid If I jump the gun, and fire her, she'll up her game and we really will be hurt" He climbed into bed next to her

Jennifer realized his intentions were good, he wouldn't put them in danger if he could and she needed to follow his game plan.

"Oh a change of topic," He began to kiss her neck, "I'm up, you're up…"

"If this is your idea of four play, it's working!" She gave in to him and melted

Clothes were quickly flung and the room temperature began to rise, just before he could really cause her to scream, he suddenly stopped

"What's wrong" She panted

"I was thinking, what if we had another baby"

"You think of this now?!" and with that statement she lost her climax, he didn't finish either and collapsed on the bed beside her

"I just thought, you know since we were in the moment"

It was now or never, confession time

She turned to him and said timidly "I don't want another baby, I already have four kids"

"Since when, we always agreed to a big family" He was surprised at her

"We have a big family, and let's face it we can't divide our attention any more than we already have,"

Jonathan was silent for a few moments, soaking in her words and Jennifer knew that he was disappointed with her decision

"But if we did and I'm not saying we are or that I'm going to change my mind in the future, what would you name it," Jennifer said

"Zoey for a girl, and Owen for a boy," He said quietly

"I love the same Zoey, why didn't you throw it out when we were having Kati,"

"Because we'd already settled on her name before I could think of it," Jonathan's voice growing slower and slower, soon he was asleep

She kissed his face, "Goodnight, Daddy" and fell asleep on top of him


End file.
